Dark Cadence
by Hawkflight7
Summary: Shepard is being followed. From small space ports to the Citadel. Question is: Who is it and Why?
1. Chapter 1

**Dark Cadence - 1**

**Summary: Shepard is being followed. From small space ports to the Citadel. Question is: Who is it and Why?**

**Inspired by a prompt over on the Mass Effect Kink Meme. Yes, this is the second one with this pairing. I'll probably fill more for this pairing over there, so if you want you can leave a prompt for these two at the meme, it's anonymous.**

There was a whirr as a ship started up that steadily grew louder until it joined all the other ships coming and going from the port.

Shepard watched from the railing above the main entrance. The Normandy was currently in there as well getting fuel so they could jump into solar systems and look for stranded people, as well as items for the Crucible. It was taking longer than usual though because of lack of supplies in this space port but they hadn't had enough fuel to get to another. So they were stuck here, for now anyways.

She pushed from the railing, turning to walk through the thick crowds that held her shipmates in them as well, somewhere. It would still be an hour until they needed to be back on the ship though so she didn't bother looking for them as she squeezed past people. It appeared that no one was looking at her uniform and then getting out of the way like they tended to do at the Citadel. Everyone was just hurrying to get their supplies, return to their ship, and get as far away from the Reapers as possible. Except no where was safe from them and this running didn't help matters very much. Now more recruits for the Alliance and it's allies would be helpful.

There was a light pressure on her shoulder and Shepard turned slightly to get out of the way of whoever it was but the hand stayed on the spot. "Excuse me-" she began, turning her head to glance over her shoulder but the hand moved now, following the curve of her upper back to her other shoulder before falling away completely. Shepard glanced quickly to her other side but whoever it had been was now lost in the crowd.

With a frown she turned back around to continue towards the shops in the hope that some still had good gun upgrades lying around.


	2. Chapter 2

**Dark Cadence - 2**

**Sorry for the wait.**

Her back was itching. Ever since she was in the crowd at that space port she felt like eyes were on her everywhere she went. It made her skin crawl each time she went into a crowd, fully expecting the same person to be within it. To brush up against her in some casual way but then linger there too long. The feeling only increased when she had to move out of the lights. In fact, it got worse.

She was breaking out in a cold sweat now even though it was close to ninety-six degrees and she was wearing her uniform that might as well have added four more degrees with its layers. Shepard brushed off some of the sweat from her brow as she set a brisk pace in the warm air, staying in the shadows as a way to escape the heat. Her skin only felt sticky though as she kept it up. Somehow the cold of the liquid on her skin unnerved her even more.

This was the Citadel. She shouldn't be worrying about some random person she had never seen before. Not that she could remember anyway.

Maybe it had all just been an accident. Maybe that pause hadn't been purposeful, that touch along her back... Maybe they had started to push past her and realized they were going the wrong way and had turned because of that. Perhaps the hand had stayed on her because the person thought the crowd would jostle them over if they didn't grab onto _something_.

Though why did that something have to be her?


	3. Chapter 3

**Dark Cadence - 3**

She kept pondering the question as she walked.

It's not like there hadn't been other people all around her. You had to shove your way through them. If just a bit more pressure had been applied, forceful pressure that is she would have believed someone was doing just that to her in their rush to get out of the sea of refugees.

As it was there was no ocean surrounding her now. Actually... Shepard glanced around, stopping when she found no other pedestrians in this part of the Citadel. Not a soul, and that uncomfortable, undeniable feeling that someone was watching her had just grown with this realization.

"Kasumi?" She voiced the name of the skilled thief into the warm evening air. "This isn't funny." Her gaze moved slowly around as she waited for the woman's voice to filter through her ear piece. When a minute had passed and there was still nothing she glanced into the shadows, turning in place as she called for her companions. "Garrus? Javik? Tali? Liara?" She didn't bother with EDI and Joker, they were both at the movies today. Waiting another second she asked the empty passage hopefully, "Kaidan?"

Still no response. She could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed, even with her heavy breathing disrupting the quiet.

There was a ghost of air against her back then, something - a hand - sweeping her hair to the side and then the gust was gone.

She turned around quickly, hand up on the hair that had been moved, keeping it in place as she tried to catch sight of what it had been. The corridor in front of her was empty. She tried again, hoping one of them would be there and answer her. Hopefully drunk and laughing at her foolishness. Thinking that someone was actually following her. "Jack? Miranda? Grunt?" In a last ditch effort she tried, "Aria?"

Silence.

She let out a breath she had been holding. Just the air then, it was most likely the vents were just being faulty-

The back of her neck was wet, warm. A tongue collecting the cold drops of her sweat and she froze for a moment.

Then she was turning, throwing an arm behind her to catch the person, but it flew through empty air. That feeling on her neck was no longer present. There was just a voice hanging in the air, "Shepard," it hissed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Dark Cadence - 4**

The voice had sent her feet into motion.

Boots hitting the ground with a thud that echoed all around her, ricocheting off the flat metal and concrete. Her breath was coming fast as she raced away from the alley, the voice. She made her way out of the cool shadows and into the searing heat no longer caring when sweat ran down her skin.

As long as she didn't feel him licking it off her skin again she could care less about the heat. She had gotten out of that desolate place and that's all that mattered.

No feet had followed after her. She would have heard it if that was the case.

Nothing but laughter from the man when she sprinted away. That man, whoever he was was just playing with her. She felt her blood heat up even more as she pushed through the crowd of people, no longer liking them after what happened the last time.

After what had just happened barely a minute ago.

She burst through the throng and onto the dock, quick to enter the vacant Normandy and ride the elevator up to her quarters.

When the doors swung open she took a moment to breathe, drinking in the air until her eyes fell on a form on her couch while she descended the stairs of her cabin at a much slower pace. A scream ripped through the air and it was up and moving. Arms wrapping around her, lips placed on her cheek, soft murmuring in her ear to quiet down.

_He's here!_

She was practically in sobs when the voice broke through, "Shepard! Shepard, are you okay? What happened?"

Her eyes widened, staring at him. "Kaidan?" It wasn't that man. She threw her arms around him, crying in relief until he calmed her down and she told him about how she had thought someone was following her since a few weeks ago at the station. How she always felt eyes on her when she got off the Normandy and this time the man had started touching her again, but in more intimate ways.

By the time she was done she lay in his arms on the bed, looking up at the ceiling instead of him. She should have mentioned her suspicions earlier so that this wouldn't have happened...

"It's not your fault." It was like he was reading her mind. "Next time you go out just make sure either me or one of the crew is with you so he can't do this again. If he does try anything even then we will catch the bastard." She nodded her head, to feel his fingers on her chin, turning her face until she was looking up at him. "I promise you that this won't continue any further."


	5. Chapter 5

**Dark Cadence - 5**

Kaidan's promise echoed in her head.

It was soon drowned out by the beat of the music that thrummed through the air. So loud it made it near impossible to think. It was no wonder why the people shouted to one another even when they were standing reasonably close. Something she wanted to avoid for now.

Unless it was Kaidan. Currently he was at the bar as she stood on the steps leading to the dance floor, waiting for him to explain the situation to her crew-mates. Hopefully in such a way that didn't make her seem like a coward to them.

When it came to Kaidan she knew he wouldn't judge her, but the rest of the crew... she didn't leave herself exposed to them like she did with him. They were her partners at work. Sure, they were friends as well, but she still didn't want anyone thinking her incompetent at her job.

At the fact that she couldn't deal with a simple stalker using a cloaking device to hide himself. That he could get to her so thoroughly with just a few touches. Really that's all they had been, touches with hands, with his tongue...

A shiver ran through her and she closed her eyes, fingers wrapping around the metal bar that gleamed purple and blue in the flashes of light. She couldn't have another break down here. She was Commander Shepard and she couldn't let some stranger get to her like this.


	6. Chapter 6

**Dark Cadence - 6**

There were fingers brushing along the tips of her own, smoothing over to uncurl them from the metal bar slowly, with patience and a kindness she knew she could trust. "Kaidan," she murmured as her hands fell away from the rail and she felt a hand slip around her own, pulling her up the stairs.

She followed after him silently, letting him guide her blind through the throng of dancers to the back of the second floor. To lean against him when he stopped, hands wrapping around her to grab at her hips and she could feel him move slowly behind her, not really dancing, just swaying as he held onto her.

Shepard opened her eyes, looking out on the dance floor as she leaned back further, hands moving down to lay on top of his own as she started to sway to the rhythm of the beat that came up through the floor and into her very bones.

The music made the whole place vibrate, the air thrumming with each note. She let it pass over her as she settled her head back against him, watching the other dancers that actually had a dancing bone in their body. It was relaxing, even with the music pounding so loud that made her positive she would have a headache when they got back to the ship.

"Kai-"

A finger rested against her lips, stopping any more sound from escaping and she sighed. He must just want to enjoy the moment right now rather than talk. They didn't get a lot of downtime now a days, so she couldn't really blame him.

Though she would rather be back at her cabin, curled against him on the couch or bed, tracing his skin with her lips. Just listen to his steady breathing that never failed to relax her. She had thought she had lost him when Cerberus brought her back to fight a new war. That he would never come to accept her again after the short alliance she had with them. Until everything went crazy again, and her latest employer was revealed to be fucking insane.

She just wished... Her head tilted, eyes settling on the bar, on Kaidan. Her stomach clenched, body going rigid as soft laughter filled her ears.


	7. Chapter 7

**Dark Cadence - 7**

Kaidan.

Her eyes flickered over the rest of her crew that was now around the bar. It would seem he had found everybody and gotten them all assembled to tell them about the current situation. Everyone but her.

She could only stare as her heart hammered so fast in her chest that it was drowning out the music from her ears to become a steady beat echoing in her head. Too fast. Even so her whole world seemed to slow down, or maybe he was moving slower. His grip on her hips had certainly increased, fingers digging into her sides so hard she found herself gasping as he rocked against her. His tongue on her neck, trailing up to twist once around her ear before his voice reverberated against her jaw, "Shepard. Can't even tell the difference from her boyfriend's hands and a strangers. It's a wonder you've accomplished so much with such nearsightedness, really."

Shepard squeezed her eyes shut, counting silently to ten before opening them again. A wave of panic crashed over her when she saw the bar was empty. Where... where had he gone? She could feel the tears stinging at the corner of her eyes and shut them once again to stop the tears from falling. "Who are you?" There was such a distinctive crack in her voice that she wish she hadn't spoken at all.

Because he knew. He was getting to her and he knew it for sure now. "You don't remember me?" He almost sounded disappointed. "I know we never technically met when you worked with the Illusive Man, but surely you remember me from our training?"

"Training?" The only real training she had ever gone through was... "N-School."

"Yes, that's it." His fingers dug even further into her sides, pulling her hard against him. Her eyes widened when she felt his erection along the curve of her ass, grinding slowly against her. "You were at the top of all the classes. Some of the members would whisper behind your back that you only had such high marks because you were good on your _knees_. That is, until you beat their asses on the mat. Then they just called you a _bitch_."

She bit on her lip to stop any sound issuing forth when he ground particularly hard against her. Her teeth broke the surface and she could feel blood running down her lower lip as she fought down a whimper. "Stop hiding beneath that cloak and tell me who you are."

"You already said my name, Shepard."


	8. Chapter 8

**Dark Cadence - 8**

She felt the air leave her for a moment.

When had she done that? The only name that had ever slipped from her lips was Kaidan's, who she still couldn't see in the increasing crowds of people in the club. The sun was starting to set and they kept coming in from the door, making her head spin as her eyes searched frantically for her lover.

"I never said your name," she hissed, feeling her blood start to boil. For her veins to run hot with anger coursing through her, keeping her standing rather than crumbling to the dance floor then and there.

"Yes, you did. Just think on it Shepard, and maybe you'll remember me. I was in the same class as you. None of the classes were very big, you can't seriously expect me to believe you don't know who I am." His lips touched at her ear again. "We might as well be fucking here, you could do me the common courtesy of getting a name right."

Her whole body flared white-hot and she snarled, "Kai Leng."

"There. Was that so _hard_?"

Before he could press against her again she swung her head back, smacking the back of her skull into his chin and she heard him curse as she slipped from his loosened grip and flung herself over the back rail onto the grates of metal two-stories beneath the dance floor.

There was a hand around her arm before she could fall back against the metal. "If you're not a dancer you can't really expect to be good at balancing, can you? Leave jumping off from heights to me." Kasumi's voice filtered through her ear piece and she smiled, leaning against the skilled thief to stop her legs from collapsing beneath her now that she was away from Leng. "Whoa. I'm not built of muscle, Shep." And then, "I saw the left back door open, going after Ballsy."


	9. Chapter 9

**Dark Cadence - 9**

She felt herself handed off to someone and could hear a low clicking beneath a voice that murmured assurances to her. "Kasumi is after him right now and Tali is just behind her. Kaidan, Liara, and EDI are ready to bring you back to the ship as an escort. Would that be alright?"

Shepard nodded. After this all she wanted was to stay on the Normandy, even if that wasn't actually possible she could pretend it was.

The soft sway of being cared in Garrus' arms made her stomach sour from the recent events in Purgatory but she didn't trust her legs to support her. When he stopped and she felt familiar arms wrap around her she quickly buried her head into the crook of Kaidan's neck, locking her legs around his waist. "I'll go help Kasumi and Tali."

"Alright." Kaidan replied, his arms wrapped securely around her as he started walking.

It took longer than she remembered to get to the ship, but then she figured they must be staying off the main roads and away from the vehicles. Once she felt herself laid back on the bed she relaxed enough to open her eyes and look to Kaidan who had been silent the whole trip, but there was an earpiece fit snugly into his right ear. "Did they catch him?"

"He got away, but not without a couple dozen bruises and a handful of laser burns." Kaidan replied, sinking to her side on the bed, taking out the earpiece and setting it on the corner table. "We'll keep a close eye on you. I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"It's not your fault." The words just slipped out and Kaidan blinked at her.

His fingers curled around hers and she smiled at him, but he didn't return it. "It was though."

She felt a frown start to tug her lips down but quickly shook the feeling away and turned on her side to press her lips to his. "I'll just have to attach myself to your side then so you don't think that." When he returned the smile she curled herself into his side. "Starting now," she murmured against his neck.


End file.
